Ashanti is finally opening up about a terrifying chapter in her life, admitting that being stalked for years completely “changed her life.” Speaking on Stalking the Stars, the latest episode of Investigation Discovery’s Hollywood Demons, the “Baby” singer shared just how unsettling and disheartening the experience was.
Devar Hurd, the perpetrator of this crime, faced trial four times between 2009 and 2016 for stalking Ashanti. Ashanti now laments the impact it had on her emotionally. “It’s unsettling, it’s disheartening, and it makes you question who’s the victim,” she said. She, however, remains optimistic that the nightmare is finally behind her and hopes that rehabilitation and peace will take precedence.
Ashanti said that as much as she loves her fans and tries to be kind, there’s a line between admiration and invasion. “I have some of the most amazing fans in the world, but it does get a bit invasive,” she shared. Way back in 2009, when performing as Dorothy in The Wiz on Broadway, things took a dark turn when her mom started receiving creepy texts and photos.
The then-unknown Hurd was obsessed, texting Ashanti’s mom to ask to “be together” with the singer, sending messages criticizing her relationship with Nelly, and continuing to try to get close to her. Ashanti recalled it became scary when things escalated rather quickly, particularly when Hurd started sending pictures of her car parked outside the theater and even aerial shots of her home. That’s when her family knew it was time to get the law involved.
Hurd was arrested in 2009 and sentenced to two years in prison for sending sexual messages and stalking, but he was released after just a year. Ashanti thought it was finally over, but it wasn’t. Despite a no-contact order, Hurd popped up again, sending pictures with her sister Kenashia Douglas and flooding her social media with messages in 2014.
It got even worse when he was arrested again and decided to represent himself in court, giving him the sick opportunity to cross-examine Ashanti face-to-face. “It’s really weird. It’s kind of like, to get what you want done, he gets what he wants, which is to be in your presence,” she said. A juror’s illness caused a mistrial, but eventually, Hurd was convicted again in 2016 and sentenced to four years. Somehow, he got out after just one year.
Ashanti’s still standing years later, but she made it clear that the fear and disruption caused by years of stalking never really go away. This is a harrowing reminder that fame doesn’t protect you from real-world danger, and how the scars from being stalked can be deep.
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